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Posted on: March 26, 2019

JCPH Awarded National Accreditation Status by the Public Health Accreditation Board

Jefferson County, Colo. — Jefferson County Public Health (JCPH), located in Lakewood, Colo., today announced that it has achieved national accreditation through the Public Health Accreditation Board. JCPH is one of only eight health departments in Colorado (out of 54) and only 300 nationwide to earn accredited status.

The Public Health Accreditation Board, or PHAB, is a national program that works to promote and protect the public’s health by improving and transforming the quality and performance of the nation’s local, state, tribal and territorial health departments. The Board is jointly supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

“The accreditation process helps to ensure that the programs and services we provide are as responsive as possible to the needs of our community. With accreditation, JCPH is demonstrating increased accountability and credibility to the entire county,” said Dr. Mark B. Johnson, Executive Director of Jefferson County Public Health. “This is the culmination of years of planning, processing and very hard work by all of our team members, supportive leadership from the Board of Health and the Board of County Commissioners, as well as input from active and engaged community members and stakeholders.”

To receive national accreditation, JCPH had to undergo a rigorous, multi-faceted, peer-reviewed assessment process to ensure that we meet a set of public health standards and measures. The department formally started the application process in 2015 and throughout the process submitted more than 12,000 pages of documentation and underwent a two-day site visit. During this visit, a team of site visitors came to JCPH to meet with staff and community partners and vet the information provided in the documentation, as well as get a more well-rounded picture of the department.

Upon review of the site visitors’ assessment and our documentation, PHAB recognized JCPH for our strong community partnerships, the cohesiveness of the department and our commitment to workforce development.

“JCPH joins the growing ranks of accredited health departments in a strong commitment to their public health mission,” said PHAB President and CEO Kaye Bender, Ph.D., RN, FAAN. “Residents of a community served by a nationally accredited health department can be assured that their health department has demonstrated the capacity to protect and promote the health of that community.”

While becoming accredited is an exciting achievement, this is a continuous journey. Part of becoming and remaining accredited is a commitment to continuous quality improvement. Every five years, accredited health departments must apply for re-accreditation to show they are not only maintaining the same high levels of quality they exhibited upon initial accreditation, but they are continuing to raise the bar and provide excellent public health services and programs for their community.

“Members of the Jefferson County community already knew that when they came in our doors, they would receive high-quality, trustworthy and nonjudgmental services. Now, they can feel reassured that they are making the best choice for the health and safety of their family, and that choice has been given a seal of approval by top experts in the public health field,” said Kelly Keenan, JCPH’s Accreditation Coordinator. “That seal of accreditation next to our logo offers peace of mind to our community and to people across the nation that when they come to JCPH, they’re receiving the same top-notch care they would receive at any other accredited health department.”

Public health is what we as a society do collectively to prevent illness and premature death and promote health in our neighborhoods and communities. Jefferson County Public Health (JCPH) is committed to promoting and protecting health across the lifespan through prevention, education and partnerships for all people. To learn more about JCPH, visit https://www.jeffco.us/public-health. You can also follow JCPH on Twitter @JeffcoPH, Instagram @JeffcoPH and Facebook @jeffcopublichealth.